Arcana Heart 3/AH3X/Zenia Valov

Zenia Valov

Profile

Almost preternaturally calm, Zenia is known for her almost glacial demeanor, as she rarely allows any emotion to show on her face. She has no memories of her childhood; her earliest memories begin with her arrival at a Russian orphanage. She was then enrolled into the Celestial police force, a body created by the Russian military and the Celestial Union, and given extensive training. However, she was discharged from service due to severe budget cuts.

Now a mercenary specializing in supernatural events, she wanders the globe without any particular reason, living only for her next job. She moved to Japan in order to help Rosenberg deal with situations they'd rather not dirty their hands with.

Overview

Rush-down character with a command dash with good follow-ups, some plus on block. She has pilebunker specials that can be air-unblockable (red) or fully-unblockable (white) if you release the button with the correct timing.

Normal Moves

5A

5A	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 400 All - 3 2 10 ±0 A 3 frame startup jab that can chain into itself. Wiffs most crouchers. Not a good anti-air on it's own, but good to use in an anti-air clash situation. However if that clash is especially deep, 5A can still wiff them as they fly too low.

5B

5B

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 1200 All - 4 4 9 +3 B 4 Frame startup anti-air. Because it's so fast, you want to do it pretty late. It has a couple frame of clash in the middle of the startup (1 normal startup, followed by 2 clash, another normal startup, then 4 active frames). While this move may be great as an anti-air, it's also a high proration combo starter and won't wiff crouchers. Feel free to use it in your offense as much as you'd like. Clash Frames 2~3

5C

5C

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 2400 All All 14 4 21 -2 C Zenia's 5C is almost strictly a combo tool. It does have sizable clash during the startup which is good versus projectiles, but care should be taken if you want to use this attack as a poke. Since it's so heavy, doing it once in awhile in pressure then canceling into a 236x isn't too bad. Surprisingly, this move is completely safe on block, barring a guard cancel situation. Clash Frames 4~9

5E

5E

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level Normal 2400 Mid Sp, Su 18 6 21 -4 D Clash Frames 12~17 Charged 3200 Unblockable - 35 3 36 - E Air unblockable, no deflect for some reason, but this move does have startup-clash just before the active frames - making it a good meaty and "don't do things" button. Charged version is extremely slow and you probably don't want to use it outside of OTG combos. Clash Frames 29~34

2A

2A	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 400 All - 3 2 10 ±0 A Hits mid. Same frame data as 5A, but it hits lower. Used for starting a lot of your strings, and stagger pressure / baiting guard cancels. Use this instead of 5A versus low anti-air clashes. Clas Frames 1~3

2B

2B

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 1000 Low/Air - 6 4 9 +3 B One of Zenia's 2 lows, and the best one. Hard to confirm from safely since it only goes into supers and her C moves, and as such it's recommended you don't auto-pilot those options too much so that you avoid getting beaten by obvious guard cancels. Thankfully this move is good on block and also super jump cancelable, so you have plenty of options more safe than going into a C move.

2C

2C

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 1100, 1500 Low/Air, All Sp, Su 14 2(2)3 19 -2 C This is Zenia's most basic move to hit-confirm into. Also a decent poke as long as you're pretty sure it won't wiff. This move has early startup clash on the head, followed by a gap, then low profile during the active frames. Despite it's appearances, this move is completely safe on block barring a guard cancel situation. Because this is a 2 hit move with both hits causing the sweep effect, you can often link after this move into another one when it hits an airborne opponent without even spending meter. That said, I don't recommend using this move as an anti air very often due to the sluggish startup. Good to use as a delayed low-mixup, though. ‘Clash Frames 2~9

2E

2E

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level Normal 2300 Mid Sp, Su 12 3 24 -4 D Reflect Frames 10~23 Charged 2600 Unblockable Sp, Su 29 4 29 - E Air unblockable, deflects, and your go-to air unblockable for air-guard strings on the ground. It's slow enough to be pretty unsafe, but the fact that it exists, and almost always connects after a 5B means it gets the job done. You will not want to be too predictable about using this move like this, but it must be used. Note that you can just barely combo from 2E for no meter. Hold up during the recovery, and do NH~~D~A to execute a fast homing into j.A > air combo. It takes some practice, and you can just use EFC/HC combos until you get it down with some consistency. Reflect Frames 24~46

6B

6B	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 1200 All Sp, Su 6 2 14 ±0 B Not a very good poke since it just causes a soft knockdown on hit, and isn't good on block like her other B normals. However, this move does have head clash from frames 1~3, so you can use this to clash high projectiles, or as a last second anti-air.

j.A

j.A	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 600 High/Air Sp, Su, J 3 3 15 - A Another 3 frame jab! Good for jumping into your opponent and tapping them. Chains into itself just like the ground versions and can also be jump canceled, so feel free to mash it. Since this move hits mostly above Zenia, you will want to avoid jumping in with it.

j.B

j.B

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 1000 High/Air Sp, Su, J 6 6 20 - B Easily Zenia's best all-around air normal. It's a fast jumpin, good air-to-air at most heights, and can also cross up when timed properly - especially in the corner. Since this is Zenia's main jump-in, main air-to-air, and main cross-up, you will probably be pushing this button a lot. Also chains into j.6B which is extremely useful for hit-confirms, and combos.

j.C

j.C

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 1800 High/Air Sp, Su 9 4 19 - C This move is really sluggish, but because of how far her foot goes out this is still a strong move. If you opponent actually gives you enough distance to NH, or speed NH into this move properly (i.e. it's already out as you get into range), it's super difficult to anti-air. However because of it's slow speed, you probably won't be using it like that too often. As of AH3.01, this move is best used outside of homing for more basic jump-ins and keep-away for it's range. Clash Frames (Full Body) 1~4 Clash Frames (Shockwave) 9~11 Reflect Frames 4~8

j.E

j.E

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 3000 High/Air Sp, Su 13 5 32 - D j.E A big dorky move that can crossup. Whenever it hits, including on the ground, this attack will cause a soft knockdown - giving it limited uses as a mixup. However, there's still plenty of reason to push this button. This attack has startup clash from frame 1 all the way to active. The downside is that this clash is where her arm descends, so only directly in front of her. This move is good for clashing anti-airs, and going through projectiles - but only at the right angle. The startup clash combined with hitbox that sort of covers all-around her just a bit, makes this a decent move to use as a full screen approach if you have projectile cover out. Not really ideal, but it gets the job done. Clash Frames 1~12

j.6B

j.6B	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 1200 High/Air Sp, Su 6 2 18 - B Same startup as her j.B, but the hitbox isn't quite as stellar. This move does however have a few frames of startup clash right at the start just like her 6B does on the ground. Use it to go through weaker projectiles, and possibly initiate clash battles if you feel the need to do that. Clash Frames 1~3

Throws

Neutral Throw

2E	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 3000 Throw - 5 1 23 - -

Lever Throw

Lever Throw	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 2500 Throw - 3 1 23 - -

Air Throw

Air Throw	Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 2500 Throw - 3 1 23 - -

Special Moves

Howling Black Uragan

Howling Black Uragan [4]6X

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level A 2200 All Su 6 4 23 -1 D Zenia punches forward with her armed fist. Good range, probably her longest range special on the ground. Functionality depends on the version. All versions can be canceled into 214x on hit. A version comes out and recovers fast. If you want to poke, this is the version to use. Safe on block at -1 so after 2 frame gap it's +1. You can get some meterless combos in the corner with it. B 2400 All Su 11 6 30 -7 D Slower than the A version, but does more damage (and damage scaling). Used for combos. C 2800 Unb Su 27 4 35 - D Telegraphed startup and will guard crush when blocked. What makes this move still dangerous is that you can kara-cancel the startup into 214x before it connects, making it a do-it-or-don't guard crush mixup.

Raging Dark Shkval

Raging Dark Shkval [2]8X

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level A 2200 Mid Su 6 6 26 -2 D Anti-air version of Howling Black Uragan. Not the best set of anti-airs, but they are air unblockable. These specials can be canceled into 623x on hit, but not on block. Also note that this move cannot be homing or EF canceled at all, so the 623x is your only method of followup. A version is fast and used for combos and AUB traps B 2400 Mid Su 10 6 31 -7 D Medium speed, upper body invulnerable. Used for anti-airing. C 2800 Unb Su 29 2 40 - D Slow, upper body invulnerable, guard crush. Unlike the forward version, it cannot be kara-canceled.

Golden Edinorog (Anti-Ground)

Golden Edinorog (Anti-Ground) 214X	Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level Normal 3200 Mid Su 20 4 38 -19 D Strong 4200 Mid Su 31+7 4 38 -17 E Just 5200 Unb Su 33+7 4 38 - - One of Zenia's signature attacks actually firing her pilebunker. Other than what was covered in the strategy section for this move, note that even uncharged the ground version is quite slow.

Golden Edinorog (Anti-Air)

Golden Edinorog (Anti-Air) 623X	Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level Normal 3200 Mid Su 20 4 38 -19 D Strong 4200 Mid Su 24+7 4 38 -17 E Just 5200 Unb Su 25+7 4 38 - - Anti-Air pilebunker. Has faster startup as of Love Max.

Golden Edinorog (air)

Golden Edinorog (Air-Strike) j.623X	Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level Normal 3200 High/Air Su 20 4 23 - D Strong 3800 Mid Su 23+6 4 23 - E Just 4400 Unb Su 25+6 4 23 - - Air-to-ground version. Packs less damage than the grounded version.

Conquering Vihr’

Conquering Vihr’ 236X	Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level A - - - - - 22F Total - - B - - - - - 25F Total - - C - - - - - 39F Total - - Probably Zenia's most used special. This attack is a Dudley-like "Sway". Upper body invincible from frame 1 on all versions, and followups are available to you once the recovery reaches a certain point.

Disturbing Poryv

Disturbing Poryv X during 236X A A B B C C

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level A 1200 All - 10 4 10 +2 B Frame advantage on block and hit. B 1000 High/Air - 16 4 12 ±0 B Overhead, and lower body invincible so it will win versus people mashing low attacks. You can combo from it using 236AB or EFC, but hit-confirming this move safely is neigh impossible. The overhead itself comes out in 16 frames making it hard to react to, but the attack is telegraphed because of the sway leading into it. To make this a scary option, sway or dash into 2B must be used. C 1200 All - 3 4 15 -1 B Anti-air, upper-body invincible, and air unblockable.

Disturbing Poryv II

Disturbing Poryv II X during 236X+C A A B B C C	Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level A 1800 Mid - 15 4 32 -3 D Catches jumping opponents. Can be homing canceled for a combo. B 2000 All - 13 4 25 ±0 - Puts the opponent in the corner on hit. C 2200 High/Air - 20 1 16 +8 D Her old 2nd hit from her previous Poryv C. Can’t follow up from hit, but is a safe overhead in pressure.

Pierce the Midnight Kolokolo

Pierce the Midnight Kolokolo AD during 236X

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 4000,5000 , 6000 Unb - 11 1 37 - - Command grab, it has a lot of recovery on wiff. When you input this, make sure you hold down a button right away to start charging edin or you'll miss it and get green. But when you do charge it, it does a large chunk of damage and you can combo from it using EFC or HC. This is essentially a high-risk high-reward command grab. In AH3LM, Zenia is actually able to use it mid-combo as well.

Super Moves

Distant Zolotoe Kol’co

Distant Zolotoe Kol’co 421AB

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level - - - - - 41F Total - - Charges up Edinorog so the Powered version happens automatically. This move has quite a bit of recovery, so you probably don't want to use it randomly. It is however good to use fullscreen at neutral if you're opponent isn't in a position to punish it (maybe if you have a projectile out, or they are in recovery). Normally this move is used at the end of an EFC combo though. At the last 2C, just cancel it into 421AB immediately. You should still have time to dash up and OTG with 5C or a B move.

War Resounding Tolchok

War Resounding Tolchok j.214AB

Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level 5000 Mid - Till L+1 1 45 -25 C It hits low. When you activate this super, Zenia will hop up a bit, then plummet straight to the ground with her fist, causing a huge shock-wave that hits the whole ground. The shock-wave can be homing and EF cancelled. It actually hits above the ground more than you would think, which is how she is able to juggle into it from an air combo, but it also means that it can still punish people that are floating just above the ground. On hit it gives you a sweep effect knockdown, so you're able to gain initiative from anywhere on the screen without spending meter. In combos, you use this move after j.623x or j.E to cause a sweep knockdown instead of a soft knockdown. It only works higher in the air, and (outside of EF) you will need to make sure that your height is about equal to your opponents for it to link properly. Outside of combos, this move is mostly useful as a punisher. You can use it on reaction to your opponent doing unsafe things fullscreen when on, or near the ground. You can either use it from the air, or TK it from the ground. It comes out quite fast when TK'd as the fall time does increase the startup.

Unstoppable Toreador

Unstoppable Toreador 236AB

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level Move - - - (31)3 12 15 - - Attack 5870 All - 8 2(8)2(7)2(7)2(10)3(4)2(12)5 21 -3 - Upper body invincible just like the rest of her 236x series, so it can be used to punish some things. However, you'll mostly want to use this move for combos. 236AB is Zenia's most basic hitconfirm from 2C, a vital hitconfirm from 2B at certain ranges, as well as her 236x~B overhead. Do not combo into this move from 2C first hit. When this super connects at too low of a height, the auto combo will not connect properly. The only way to fix that is to EFC or HC6 during the initial portion and link a 2A before they hit the ground and the first ground-slam punch misses. The super will not connect entirely valid if you do it at the end of a longer combo either, such as a full EFC combo from a jump-in for example. When comboing into it from your usual situations (aka, shorter combos), you can actually extend the combo. After the uppercut, you can either EFC, HC6 or arcana super to extend. A couple examples are given below. 236AB...641236E (love laser) 236AB...214214E (fireball) 236AB...EFC > 66 5C 2C 236A > 5C 2C 236A > OTG 236AB...HC6 > 5C 236A~A > 2A 5B > air combo

Critical Heart

Final Razdelenie 63214AB during 236X

Version Damage Guard Cancel Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv Level Normal 7210 All*3, Unb - 0+6 4(16)2(22)2(19)3 - - - Extend Force 8943 All*3, Unb - 0+6 3(16)2(22)2(9)13 - - - Needs to actually be executed during the dash of a Whirlwind, not the recovery. So from the A version, you will need to input it rather quickly, though the B and C versions are a bit more lenient. On the regular version, the first hit is a guard crush. On the EF version, it happens on the second hit. Neither of these guard crushes are useful versus an opponent who knows the matchup, because they can just 4D it on reaction in both cases. If it does guard crush though, the rest of the super will combo properly. After pinning her victim to the wall rugal-style, and punching them a few times for good measure, Zenia will grab her their face and start to charge her pilebunker, so make sure to hold down a button during the punches! Once she starts charging, you just want to aim for releasing on the gold line like usual. Getting gold is much more lenient during her critical heart because the gauge moves slower. On the EF version, there will be 3 very fast charges before the final one. Damage is higher on the EF version of course, quite a lot higher if you are good enough to get gold on most or all of the hits. For both versions, if you get gold you will be pushed back a lot further. It is possible to followup with an OTG 2B after both red and gold. But getting the timing for 6D > 2B OTG after a gold takes a bit of practice. You get more damage the faster you combo into this move, so aim for short combos into critical heart for massive damage. It does well above average damage.